Earthquakes sign Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club has signed former AC Ajaccio captain Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi, pending receipt of his ITC and P-1 visa. Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We had the opportunity to watch Jean-Baptiste play in France and met him in his hometown,” said Earthquakes head coach Mark Watson. “He’s excited to come to play in the United States and knows a lot about our team already. He has a great character and has been playing in a top league in Europe for a number of years. We look forward to having him in San Jose.”

Pierazzi, 28, has been with AC Ajaccio (France) since 2006. The native Corsican helped L’ours earn promotion to Ligue 1 after a second-place finish in the second division in 2010-11. He has made 67 appearances over the last two-and-a-half seasons as a center midfielder for AC Ajaccio.

“Jean-Baptiste is somebody who we’ve followed closely over the last year. Both Mark [Watson] and I were able to see him play in person and get to know him off the field,” said Earthquakes general manager John Doyle. “He’s a talented player, a leader and he’s going to have an excellent MLS career.”